knife

Chapter 445: Compassion does not command troops
The long whip suddenly flew out, wrapping around the fishing rod that was rapidly gliding on the water's surface, dragging it back. The fishing rod left the water, the fishing line taut, and the fish in the water, in pain, suddenly flew out of the water with a snap, flipped in the air, and then splashed back into the water with a thud. The people on the shore cheered in unison. This fish was unexpectedly large, weighing at least a hundred pounds.

The officer wielding the long whip was exceptionally experienced, adjusting the tension appropriately. In no time, the large fish was pulled to the shore, looking exhausted, floating in the water, barely moving.

Tiele squatted down, grabbed the fish's gills with one hand, carefully removed the hook with the other, and then gently pushed the fish into the deep water.

The fish seemed somewhat incredulous at its newfound freedom. It poked its head above the water, exhaled a few bubbles, glanced at Tiele several times, and then flicked its tail and dove back underwater, leaving behind only ripples.

Tiele stood up, shook the water off his hands, and said, "These fish must have been fish fry that were released into the reservoir after it was built. I didn't expect them to have grown so big."

"The Banmenxi Reservoir, which Your Majesty oversaw the construction of back then, benefited hundreds of thousands of people in the surrounding area and created millions of acres of fertile land!" The young officer wielding the whip said with a smile, "This achievement alone is enough to make those empty-headed fellows in Yandu ashamed!"

“My mother told me from a young age that agriculture and sericulture are the foundation of life!” Tiele said. “Although our Great Yuan Dynasty used to rely mainly on herding, herding ultimately depends on the weather. Once we encounter natural disasters or man-made calamities, we can easily suffer heavy losses and not recover. But agriculture is different. Look at these millions of acres of fertile land. We failed and left back then, but the land was still well cultivated. Now we have returned, and who knows, this autumn, it may be our turn to harvest.”

"Your Majesty is farsighted!" the officer flattered. This officer was none other than Dayuer, the wife of the Tiele people, who was quite skilled with a whip.

"My mother wasn't exactly farsighted; she just learned from what she'd seen and heard since childhood!" Tiele shook his head and laughed. "The Central Plains has suffered repeated devastation, but it has always been able to recover quickly because it's based on agriculture and sericulture. As for us, once we suffer a devastating blow, we could vanish at any moment. That's the difference! Because good farmland can attract people! Look around the Banmenxi Reservoir. Although there have been many battles and fighting, the villages around it have continued to grow thanks to the irrigation water."

"Once we win this battle and reunify the Great Yuan, Your Majesty can then embark on your grand plans and properly design the future of our Great Yuan!" Dayuer put away her whip.

"Let's hope so!" Tiele nodded with a smile. "I appreciate your kind words!"

With the sound of galloping hooves, Gao Qunshu dismounted and walked towards the Tiele.

"Your Majesty!" Gao Qunshu bowed and said, "Our army has made good progress. Over a stretch of more than 100 li, we have eliminated more than 50 enemy strongholds, fortified villages, and outposts, and killed nearly a thousand enemies. The Beiting Protectorate was caught off guard and is obviously somewhat stunned. So far, our scouts have not found any signs of the enemy making organized troop movements in preparation for a counterattack. They seem to be in a bit of a panic."

Upon hearing this, Dayuer immediately became excited: "General Gao, in that case, shouldn't we speed up and advance straight ahead? If we can take Qingtongxia City in one fell swoop, wouldn't we have an excellent base of operations?"

Gao Qunshu smiled and bowed, saying, "Theoretically, that's how it is, Your Majesty!"

Dayuer blinked and turned to look at Tiele. She wasn't stupid. Gao Qunshu said that was theoretically true, but what he meant was that it wasn't actually true.

Sure enough, Tiele said, "Tell the vanguard soldiers to keep a low profile and not run too fast, lest they fall into the enemy's trap!"

Gao Qunshu nodded: "Your Majesty, the people around Qingtongxia are overjoyed to hear that you, the Tiele, have returned. The surrounding villages and towns have sent gifts to reward the army. Many local gentry and elders want to see Your Majesty. I will keep them in the main tent for the time being. Will you see them or not?"

"Of course I'll see them!" Tiele laughed. "It's rare that they still remember me."

"His Majesty bestowed many favors upon them when he was stationed in Qingtongxia City. How could they possibly forget? I will go and make preparations. Since His Majesty wishes to see them, he should surely bestow some gifts upon them. I think it would be better to treat them to a meal!" "Alright!" Tiele said.

Watching Gao Qunshu leave, Dayuer asked, puzzled, "Your Majesty, why not take advantage of the situation and advance?"

"Because this time, this isn't the main battlefield!" Tiele said. "We've been killing too fast, making too much progress, which is actually detrimental to the enemy's ability to gather a large army! This time, we're bait; our goal is to attract more troops from the Northern Protectorate. I hope that by the time I reach Qingtongxia City, the various reinforcements mobilized by the Northern Protectorate will be close enough. A large ship is hard to turn around; once they're near me, if a major battle suddenly breaks out in Yandu, they won't have time to turn back. By the time they realize what's happening, the battle in Yandu will already be over!"

“If it ends there, the enraged Northern Protectorate will surely vent all their anger on you. At that time, will you still be able to break out?” Dayuer’s eyes reddened.

Tiele laughed heartily, tapped Dayuer's helmet with his riding whip, and said, "Whether I can get out or not is not important, is it? As long as Jebe's side achieves a great victory, it doesn't matter if I suffer losses on my side. Even if I die here, the Great Yuan will eventually be unified again. It would be better if I could fight my way out and become the emperor, but if I can't, Brother Jebe is actually not bad either!"

Da Yu'er lowered her head sadly.

"Is it really necessary for you to use such a tactic to lure troops?"

“If it weren’t for me, who could have drawn the main force of the Beiting Protectorate?” Tiele said. “This is the best opportunity. Li Dachui is not in Beiting, Xiao Changche is pregnant, and Linghu Zhishu is leading a large army to approach Yangguan. If given the chance, he might even launch a direct attack on Yangguan.”

What if they capture Yangguan?

Tiele laughed loudly, "If Linghu Zhishu were to capture Yangguan, our entire game would be won. The problem is, that's practically impossible. Let's go, don't think about it so much. This is a grand game, and we're just playing on the periphery! Let's go have a few drinks with those local gentry and elders. The Emperor and Empress of the Great Yuan will personally toast them; I guarantee they won't be able to sleep for three days and three nights after that!"

In Qingtongxia City, Xiao Chenggong stood in front of the sand table, pulled up the blue flags and put them aside, and then planted small red flags in these places.

The door was pushed open with a bang, and a general strode in. Xiao Chenggong glanced up at him, then lowered his head to look at the sand table in front of him.

"General Xiao, we knew the enemy was about to attack, so why didn't we notify the soldiers at the outposts and fortresses to retreat?" the general asked loudly, his voice choked with emotion.

Xiao Chenggong lowered the flag in his hand, looked at the other party, and said, "Is withdrawing all the soldiers at the forward outposts meant to tell Tiele that we know your plan perfectly well, and that I am luring the enemy deep into our territory?"

The general's eyes were bloodshot. He took two steps back, slumped into a chair, clutched his head, and cried out in anguish, "They just died in vain!"

"Therefore, a merciful general cannot command an army!" Xiao Chenggong exhaled a breath of stale air.

(End of this chapter)